y yards away.

"It's Mum," said Erebus.

Quick as thought the Terror dropped behind her, slipped off the bag of
booty, and thrust it into a gorse-bush.

"And--and--it's the Cruncher with her!" cried Erebus in a tone in which
disgust outrang surprise.

"Of all the sickening things! The Cruncher!" cried the Terror, echoing
her disgust. "What's he come down again for?"

They paused; then went on their way with gloomy faces to meet the
approaching pair.

The gentleman whom they called the "Cruncher," and who from their tones
of disgust had so plainly failed to win their young hearts was Captain
Baster of the Twenty-fourth Hussars; and they called him the Cruncher
on account of the vigor with which he plied his large, white, prominent
teeth.

They had not gone five yards when Wiggins said in a tone of
superiority: "_I_ know why he's come down."

"Why?" said the Terror quickly.

"He's come down to marry your mother," said Wiggins.

"What?" cried the Twins with one voice, one look of blank
consternation; and they stopped short.

"How dare you say a silly thing like that?" cried Erebus fiercely.

"_I_ didn't say it," protested Wiggins. "Mrs. Blenkinsop said it."

"That silly old gossip!" cried Erebus.

"And Mrs. Morton said it, too," said Wiggins. "They came to tea
yesterday and talked about it. I was there: there was a plum cake--one
of those rich ones from Springer's at Rowington. And they said it
would be such a good thing for both of you because he's so awfully
rich: the Terror would go to Eton; and you'd go to a good school and
get a proper bringing-up and grow up a lady, after all--"

"I wouldn't go! I should hate it!" cried Erebus.

"Yes; they said you wouldn't like wholesome discipline," said the
faithful reporter. "And they didn't seem to think your mother would
like it either--marrying the Cruncher."

"Like it? She wouldn't dream of it--a bounder like that!" said the
Terror.

"I don't know--I don't know--if she thought it would be good for
us--she'd do anything for us--you know she would!" cried Erebus,
wringing her hands in anxious fear.

The Terror thrust his hands into his pockets; his square chin stuck out
in dogged resolution; a deep frown furrowed his brow; and his face was
flushed.

"This must be stopped," he said through his set teeth.

"But how?" said Erebus.

"We'll find a way. It's war!" said the Terror darkly.

Wiggins spurned the earth joyfully: "I'm on your side,"